ARTS The Michigan Daily Saturday, April 6, 1985 Page 5 Pinafore' By Pete Williams PERATIC VOICES, balletic dan- cing, simple and honest plot struc- ture, nothing left to the imagination. In a performance based on symmetry of movement and harmony of sound, like H.M.S. Pinafore, it is difficult to discover any higher meaning or revealing irony; that is not the point of such a performance. In this, like any other Gilbert and Sullivan creation, the stage is merely a forum for the artists' convention. The audience knows the plot, fully comprehends the tran- sparency of the characters, and comes 'to be entertained. They laugh at the simplistic and nearly slapstick humor. They listen carefully to the silly songs given legitimacy by the powerful resonance and range of well selected voices. It is just plain fun for members of the audience. Nothing to think about, just honest, relaxing, and even nostalgic en- joyment-mind candy. A contemporary example would have to be the vanguard of late-night entertainment, The Love Boat. In fact, the two attractions are frighteningly similar. For a Love Boat episode to be suc- cessful, three goals must be achieved by the director, the writers, and the cast: First, the plot(s) must be fabricated upon a foundation of transparent, yet flexible, plastic. Pity the artist who at- tempts to make his audience think, for he or she will soon be unemployed. The story line must be garnished with the fashions and popular ideas of the times, eg. circa 1970s Lo showed us polyester and dilei volving lost contact lenses. Th '80s bring us Yups falling ir business trips, a more autt role for Captain Stubing, resurrected styles of the 1 1930s. Second, a successful epis4 contain a dull and overwhelms confrontational moral. The always the same, Love Conc but the artist has a largec freedom as to how it is develo moral must be largely n throughout the performance, show up at the end-usual] paternal words of our b distinguished, captain. The last requirement is the portant. Everyone short of t crew must fall in love an all-get married within the ti ted. This requirement, along previous two, was met by th sity of Michigan Gilbert and Society's production of Pinafore. The moral of the sto Love Conquers All, had the British society to cross. daughter of a ship's cap disputably a member of th class, fall in love with a crewman? Can the lovers find to sing their powerful mad love songs without interfering development of the story?C they can. That is the simple1 H.M.S. Pinafore. Of course, under most circu the comparison of this production to the Love Boat floats on ve Boats enough to make even the most casual mmas in- Gilbert and Sullivan enthusiast turn red ose of the with anger, but these people need only n love on look at themselves to understand the horitative similarity. and the The Love Boat is currently involved 920s and in a season of characteristically high ratings. Repeats can be seen nightly, ode must back-to-back, starting at 11:30 p.m. The ngly non- fact is, a public seeking no more than thesis is mindless convention has kept the juers All, pathetic excuse for a series afloat for degree of god-knows-how-many-years. Now to ped. This the Pinafore. The University has an ac- eglected tive society devoted exclusively to and then Gilbert and Sullivan. Contributors, ly in the spectators, and participants have kept ald, yet this type of entertainment alive longer than the TV generation has supported most im- The Love Boat-considerably longer. he. ship's The audience is an interesting id-above phenomenon. in itself. At the outset of ime allot- the second act the audience clapped along with the boisterous trio, "Never with the mind the why and wherefore," as if on e Univer- cue, with the enthusiasm of Barry I Sullivan Manilow groupies. Like Manilowites, I H.M.S. got the impression that everyone in the ry, again, audience except for me had seen this hurdle of performance before, and that prior to Could a the show, they had all spent an hour at tain, in- the hi-fi listening to the-album. e middle Unlike a Manilow concert, however, a common H.M.S. Pinafore was a spectacular s I occasion show. The orchestra was flawless. e-to-order Each principal had an ability to sieze ov g with the the stage and the audience's attention toc Of course for an occasional solo. The varying T beauty of degrees of dancing talent and technique con displayed by members of the chorus ter imstances was somewhat annoying in a perfor- pe complete mance based on symmetry of isd would be movement and harmony of sound, but thi 'Love Boat' ideals The cast of 'H.M.S. Pinafore' is pictured here giving their final salute. 'Cruise director' Julie Tanguay and the Gilbert and Sullivan Society are to be complemented on their strikingly unassuming and relaxing entertaining production. The show continues today, tomorrow, and April 11-13 at Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre. erall this performance was difficult criticize. The Gilbert and Sullivan Society will ntinue to produce high-priced and en- taining shows as long as there are ople who need reassurance that there design and simplicity to life. And on s premise, I can never see the society closing its doors. Every now and then, people need to see a distraught lover break into song-accompanied by a full orchestra, An audience will always welcome the chance to see a male dan- cer feign an anatomical reaction to a woman's peck on the cheek. What's wrong with that? Plenty, but that's not the point. H.M.S. Pinafore will be staged today at the Power Center at 2 and 8 p.m. Sunday's performance begins at 3 p.m. Performance contir aes April 11-13, with shows starting at 8 p.m. and a matinee on the 13th at 2p.m. Itals' reggae fine and By Hobey Echlin THE U-BALLROOM was the sight of the finest in contemporary Jamaican reggae Thursday night. An all star lineup featuring the Roots Radics backing Don Carlos and the headlining Itals proved that in this age of UB40 and Black Market, the roots will always dominate. Or so it would seem. The -Roots Radics opened the show with their own set. The Radics, Jamaica's most sought-after studio band, proved that though they are usually backing up the legends, they can hold Rasta-court with the best of them. The sound was superb, from the thudding kick-drum to the chinking guitar chords. The Radic's only draw- back was Flubba Holt's insistence on using a headless Steinberger bass, a popular funk instrument, that provided at best a fuzzy haze in what should have been a much richer and thicker sound. Stick to the Fender Precision, Flub. I guess this is going to get a wee bit cynical, but Flubba's bass was sort of an indication that the roots spirit may still be there, but it is being lost in the true sound of Reggae. UB40 never had it, so it's OK if they use a gimmick or two; they need all the help they can get. But from the masters? I guess after fif- teen years you pretty much have to go for the new. With the Radics as his back-up, a surprisingly fashionable Don Carlos took to the stage after the Radics pre- set. Carlos, an original Black Uhuru member, captivated the audience with his repeated chantings of "Jah Rastafari" and dramatic swinging of his mane of dread-locks. A superb vocalist, his upbeat set provided a per- fect opener for the Itals. The only thing that irritated me about Carlos was his unusually dapper appearance. I'm not asking the man to wear a friggin' loin cloth, but the man's a musician, not a model. And besides, how can you take a man yelling thanks and praise to God all over the place seriously when he looks like an amply-hormoned Michael Jackson. While Flubbz's getting his new Steinberger, Don can pick up a G.Q. subscription. But again, I'm no cynic (maybe), and after all, you tend to get away from your roots image after a lit- tle success and a whole lot of years in the business. After a brief intermission, the Ballroom was again smelling like a ganja-torium and the Itals were on the stage. Looking a bit like a cross bet- ween Rastafarians and the Jetsons in their Spinners-ish suits, the Itals broke into song, again with the Radics backing. Drawing heavily from Give Me Power and the earlier Brutal Out Deh (which front Ital Keith Porter pronounced with a grace and clarity this language craves), the Itals proved that their three-vocalist lineup is definitely one of the most refreshing contributions made to reggae in a long time. Lloyd Rickett's and Ronnie Brooks' swooning, choir-like backing vocals emphasized the religious element of their music. An impromptu rendition of "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" proved to be a crowd pleaser though a bit too commercial and Yuppy-pleasing flashy for my taste. Gee guys, Big Chill cash- in? But overall the Itals' two sets were very good in their own vocals- dominating ensemble style. Porter's Marleyish voice has that harsh, rootsy tone that sounds weed-racked but honest, that was a definite highlight of the show. So overall the show was impressive, but a bit flashy. But when you've been rubbing shoulders with Marley, Tosh, Isaacs; etc. since 1972, I guess it just comes with the territory. Daily Photo by DAN HABIB Itals' frontman Keith Porter, dreadocks aflight, put on a fine performance at the U-Ballroom. Recrd Civilian Fun Group-Fighting All Who Rob and Plunder (EQMC Records) Fighting All Who Rob and Plunder is an entertaining, if somewhat uneven record. The Civilian Fun Group has made an effort to rein in their typically brash and gung-ho style in deference to the medium, and they achieve some degree of success. At its best, the record provides clean and spirited ren- ditions of CFG standards, but the em- phasis on musicality strips vitality from the band at times. Side One gets off to a terrific start with lead singer Lawrence Kent's dramatic intonation of what's wrong with the world (Greed is the most ob- vious form of underdevelopment...), punctuated by a hellish scream. "The Bank is Closed," the story of an economic collapse is rendered with for- ce. Jake London's guitar chops through Nick Griffin's bass line. Kent's vocals possess the same hell-bent quality they do in live performance. The same cannot be said for the next cut, "Mary Magdelene." The opening guitar lick is muted, the back-up vocals are restrained; the whole song sounds muffled. "Mary Magdelene" is probably one of the band's best songs, but this recording of it lacks the charac- teristic cutting edge. The listener wants to speed it up, or turn it up, or bring out the treble, especially for John Shaw's harmonica solo, which should scream. Instead it moans a bit. I'd like to hear a different mix. The lost energy is recouped on "Mrs. Dunn." There is a terrific density to this recording, plus a healthy doseof spirit. The guitar work is terrific, and again the vocals have that mocking, feisty quality that Kent is capable of. Side Two opens with a fair rendition of "Solamente Quiero Armas," a south- of-the-border type tune. Pieces of this song are terrific, like Griffin's Mexican-peasait second lead, and the scattered superfluous Speedy Gonzales- style hoots and chirps, but the song moves slowly, and Kent seems strained. Also, the a capella openings that usually are the highlight of the song sound thin and slightly off-key. Again, the production could be pun- chier, but the performance should be too. The EP closer, "Pleasure Dog," is a winner. Everything falls into place. The production is excellent, the performan- ce is terrific, and the song itself is cer- tainly one of the band's best. This record is a swell value for three dollars. The cover is an extension of Kent's recent posters, featuring op- pression, religion, and a sad Santa. The back cover features some nifty photos, especially the one of Shaw playing his guitar while he is upside-down. It's a good first effort, worthy of your money and ear. THE ART of FILM Film, Video, and RC 236 will be taught in Fall 1985 by Professor Hubert Cohen and is being offered on TUESDAY and THURSDAY, 12:00 -1:30 with Discussion Sections on Friday afternoon. NO PRERFQUISITFS. FOUR ( RDIT HOURS. See LSA Course Guide and updated CRISP listings °for more information. WHAT ARE WEEKENDS MADE OF? ~O AND READING THE WEEKEND MAGAZINE Pick UP a Copyls Subscribe to The Daily - Phone 764-0558 M^ R E S T A U R A N IS Froze R E C (0 R S Recycled bd -John Logie John Getz Frances McDormand Dan Hadava Samm Art Wiltiamq I